Snooker: Hendry shines in stirring fightback

The world No 2 pocketed the first prize of £52,000, with O'Sullivan receiving £26,000. Such was the high standard served up that the final produced six centuries, three to each player, and at one stage there were five in a row from frames four to eight. Hendry weighed in with a brace of 135s and a 121, O'Sullivan with a 109, 106 and 100.

O'Sullivan, the world No 3 who started with breaks of 62 and 61, lost a crucial 12th frame when Hendry cancelled his 56-0 lead with a clearance of 78 to lead 7-5.

"I'm hurting at the moment - maybe when I get up in the morning I will feel better," O'Sullivan said. "Stephen played really well and deserved to win. I had my chances at the start of the last nine frames and didn't take them. He was too strong for me and I couldn't stop him."

Hendry, who also had breaks of 95, 78, 61 and 50, said: "That's as good as I have played for a long time but I had to. I had to be in top form and was for 95 per cent of the time."